Anger over 'morning-after pill bulk-buy offer'

Women are being sold morning-after pills in bulk over the internet in a move that MPs say encourages unprotected sex.

By Alastair Jamieson

5:30AM GMT 23 Mar 2009

A chemist chain is to offer a service that allows women to buy up to three emergency contraceptive tablets without seeing a doctor or pharmacist.

Campaigners expressed concern the scheme from Lloyds Pharmacy will lead to pills being inadvertently sold to children.

It is aimed at women who are concerned they may not be able to reach a doctor quickly enough in the event that their normal contraception fails.

Lloyds Pharmacy, which launches the service on its website on Monday, says it will delay dispatching the pills by 72 hours to ensure women who need a pill in an emergency must still see a GP rather than buying online.

Campaigners say however that customers will be able to stockpile the treatment for future use and also expressed concern that the pills could be inadvertently sold to children.

Dr Peter Saunders, of the Christian Medical Fellowship, described the move as "extraordinary and reckless". He said; "If you think that there's the option of emergency contraception, it will encourage you to have unprotected sex and that will fuel the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer.

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"How are they possibly going to know who is buying it? What is going to stop a 10 year old girl from using her parent's credit card and ordering this online? Or someone using several cards to build up a stockpile?"

The morning after pills cost between £27.99 and £74.97 for packs of one, two or three.

According to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, one in three women in the UK will have an abortion by the time they are 45 and about 30 per cent of all pregnancies are unplanned.

Clare Kerr, head of clinical services at Lloyds Pharmacy, said: "Time is of the essence with the morning after pill. The treatment is up to 95 per cent effective when taken a day after sex, but that reduces to 85 per cent in the following 24 hours and dips to 58 per cent after 48 hours.

"Most women know that the pill can be taken up to three days after sex, but our pharmacists tell us that many women are unaware of the fact that effectiveness reduces during that period."

The company says the service will not knowingly be available to girls under the age of 18 and treatments will only be despatched to the person whose name is on the credit or debit card used to make the payment online.

Women must fill in a comprehensive online medical questionnaire which is reviewed by a doctor before treatment can be prescribed and dispensed by post.

Shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley said: "This is intended to be emergency contraception not a routine form of contraception. In particular, wider availability would run the risk of encouraging unprotected intercourse with the attendant risk of sexually transmitted infections.

"I think it would be clearly better for the morning-after-pill only to be available in person and in the circumstances for which it has hitherto been available, particularly with the benefit of advice."

Labour MP Geraldine Smith said the emergency contraception was "abortion in the extremely early stages". She said: "If you make it very easy to get hold of these pills then it's something you do without a second thought."

Miss Kerr added: "Unplanned pregnancy is an issue that can affect all sexually active women, including those in long term relationships.

"We hope this service will go some way to reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies and will help alleviate some of the anxiety women feel after they have had unprotected sex or a condom has split."